Hello all, noob here. I have figured out that i,ll be loading pistol carts, not ready to dive into progressives. i,ve never loaded in my life. I really thought about singles, but if i end up getting hooked( i mean when i get hooked) i want to be able to push out rounds faster than a single but don't shoot/need the amount that a prog. puts out. Please don't hit me too hard i am new. thanks in advance. ken

ken welcome to the wonderful world of reloading may your experience be a grand one.
Start with a basic reloading set up. single stage is great to learn on. turrents are not that much more complacated just more going on.
get a good manuel and read, study, ask questions and reread untill you understand. no great experiment going on just be cautious and double check every step until your confident thet you know whats happening.
learn to walk before you run..
If at a later time you feel you want a progressive, then get it but you will always find a use for the single stage, it may load some of the most accurate ammo that you use.
Dave

Gun nut

Lets start off with what do you think a turret press does to make it faster?

IMHO there a waste of $$$ big deal you can screw 3-5 dies in it and rotate them do you know how long it takes to screw and unscrew a single die in a single stage press maybe 15 seconds, when ever I reload I start with one operation say sizing I size all the brass I plan to reload if i'm doing pistol I do same then unscrew die and bell case mouth doing all cases then move to next step.

I don't take one case size bell case, take out add powder , seat bullet and crimp to many mistakes can happen and it would drive me crazy rotating the turret head and finding the right die, everything is done in steps.

quote:

Originally posted by Hunt-ducks:
Gun nut

Lets start off with what do you think a turret press does to make it faster?

IMHO there a waste of $$$ big deal you can screw 3-5 dies in it and rotate them do you know how long it takes to screw and unscrew a single die in a single stage press maybe 15 seconds, when ever I reload I start with one operation say sizing I size all the brass I plan to reload if i'm doing pistol I do same then unscrew die and bell case mouth doing all cases then move to next step.

I don't take one case size bell case, take out add powder , seat bullet and crimp to many mistakes can happen and it would drive me crazy rotating the turret head and finding the right die, everything is done in steps.

Over the years, I have used quite a few turret presses, including the old Lyman All-American and the HUGH Hollywood. In additon, I have used a number of single-stage presses. While a single stage is perfectly acceptable, and litle time is aved by having a number of dies screwed in before you start, I did find that IF I was loading a lot of ammo in a couple of calibers repeatedly, such as .308. .30/'06, and .45 ACP, with the Hollywood I could leave all three calibers set up and just switch to the appropriate caliber the next time I wanted to reload that round.

I think you should take a look at the Redding turret press. I believe it has seven die stations, so you could leave two bottleneck rifle die sets installed along with one pistol or straight-sided 3-die sets in it that you use the most often, only changing dies when you switch to some other round. Or, you might be able to find a used Hollywood on e-bay for a reasonable price.

Some people like Turret presses, power to them. I find them an abomination. I find they make it extremely difficult to adjust a die to the EXACT setting you want, and even the best have more slop than a good single stage press. Yes, you can easily switch between 2 or more dies, and if your reloading process demands more than one die (sizing) operation, I guess that is an advantage. In terms of saving time switching between dies, all I can say is: Get a Forster CoAx.

- mike

quote:

Posted May 18, 4:00 PM Hide Post
Gun nut

Lets start off with what do you think a turret press does to make it faster?

IMHO there a waste of $$$ big deal you can screw 3-5 dies in it and rotate them do you know how long it takes to screw and unscrew a single die in a single stage press maybe 15 seconds, when ever I reload I start with one operation say sizing I size all the brass I plan to reload if i'm doing pistol I do same then unscrew die and bell case mouth doing all cases then move to next step.

I don't take one case size bell case, take out add powder , seat bullet and crimp to many mistakes can happen and it would drive me crazy rotating the turret head and finding the right die, everything is done in steps.

I wonder if you have actually ever used a Turret press?



I have a couple different single stage presses that I tend to use for different calibers and I have a Dillon progessive that I use to load larger quantities of rifle and handgun ammo but I use a Redding Turret press for mid-range amounts of pistol and smaller rifle ammo.
You definately want the Redding turret. It's an excellent machine and would choose it over the other available options.

It's not just the screwing the dies in and out that saves you time and hassle. The way the front of the press is open gives you better access to the ram than on "O" type presses. It also has a shorter stroke than most of the more powerful presses. You will end up wanting a larger press like a Redding Ultramag if you start loading 458 Lott, 505 Gibbs or other larger calibers but it sounds to me like you would be quite happy with a Redding Turret press to start out with.................................DJ

I appreciate the read and reread comment. Maybe going single is the best way to go, i'd rather make an error on the safe side than something catastrophic. Things that go boom aren't always fun. thx again for info. i'm sure i'll have lots more once i get things going.

My first press was an iron six station turret. After a few years it went under my bench and an iron single stage sits on top.

Different strokes for different folks I guess.

if you want a quick change die & shellholder set up, go look at the coax single stage.

I have a rock chucker and a Dillon 550B. I would put that dillon up against anyone and any single stage press. Speed isnt important to me perse, but when loading 500 or so rounds of handgun ammo, it is definitely a time saver. I can load 500 or so rounds an hour of any handgun cartridge and many rifle cartridge also. I have checked many charges that the dillon threw from the powder station and I am always amazed at how accurate that machine is.

That said, there is no way I would give up my rock-chucker, or my dillon. I just sold 2 lee presses on ebay. One was a classic turret and the other a single stage. My wife can sell the dillon and the rock chucker when I go tits up, and she will get damn well pretty close to what I paid for them new. Both great investments if you ask me.

Start with a single stage until you get all the nuances and safety aspects of reloading. Then get a progressive. Just like shooting, you start with a single shot or bolt and go to your self loaders after that. crawl walk run.

It's all in the mind. Whatever you think you'll be happy with. There is no compromise with the Redding unit. Anticipate your loading process, then choose the press type that will best fit it. One of the features of the turret press is that dies don't get out of adjustment from changing them out. Good quality presses will all do the same job.
.

quote:

I wonder if you have actually ever used a Turret press?

Yes I have, owned a lyman at one time until I found zero advantage of it now I have and have had a RC for the last 30 years.

The only thing a turret has over a single stage is they cost more.

Now if where talking progressive then where talking Dillon and there is no other press.

I think the only real advantage to the turret over the single stage is when you are dealing with pistol rounds that require 3 or 4 passes through the dies.

I don't think that advantage comes from die adjustment but from case handling. I have 4 dies for my .40S&W set up. The last die is a final resize after bullet seating to ensure feeding in the pisols.

Handling 100 cases 4 or five times, and careful handling of them in and out of the press after powder has been dropped adds quite a bit to the time it takes me to run 100 rounds through my Rockchucker. Overall the savings might be 30 minutes.
The other saving comes into place 'cause I can stop anywhere in the process. If I've dropped powder into all 100 cases, or primed 100 cases I'm not leaving the press until I've seated all 100 bullets.

With a turret or a progressive I can stop when I need to stop and not sweat having primed or powdered cases sitting in a loading block.

That said...Get a single stage to start.

Get this instead of a Turret. Will not wear out and you just move the case around like you would with a MEC Jr Shotshell press.

I have used my CH H-Style press for over 30 years

Barstooler
+++++++++++++++++++++++++

http://www.ch4d.com/catalog/?p=61

No. 444 - 4-Station 'H' Press


Ever since Charles Heckman ( the founder of CH ) built the first 'Magnum Press', CH has been a leader in the precision reloading press industry. Now we continue in that tradition with the No. 444 'H' Press. CH's exclusive 'H' Press design has all of the advantages and none of the disadvantages of a turret type press.

CH 'H' presses built over 50 years ago are still in use after loading tens of thousands of rounds of ammo. We hear from customers everyday who purchased an 'H' press decades ago, and they tell us that their presses are still working perfectly after years of use. With that kind of following, we're convinced that after trying our 'H' press, you will never be satisfied with any rotary machine.

Smooth Operation
You can expect a smooth, consistent, and easy pull of the handle every time. When you seat primers, you can feel them bottom in the primer pocket.
Precision
There is no turret to wear or wobble. Pressures are centered between two 7/8" solid steel shafts. The platen rides on permanently lubed bronze bushings.
Powerful
Loads everything from the smallest pistol cartridge to the largest magnum rifle cases with ease, including full-length resizing.
Fast
You can load up to 200 rounds per hour !
Versatility
With four stations available, you will not have to constantly reset your dies for each step. Simply preset each station once, and you're ready to go.
Standard dies & shellholders Uses any standard 7/8-14 dies & standard snap-in shellholders
Convenience
Mounts on any flat table top. Nothing to turn or jam. You move only the cases. There is adequate hand room and sufficient platen travel for cartridges up to 4" long.
For replacement parts: 'H' Press Parts

As seen above, with large and
small priming arm and primer catcher.



Part # Description Price

044000 No. 444 - 4-Station 'H' Press $ 254.29

I buy a set of dies and set them up in a turret and never touch them again, some of my dies have been set up for over 20 years and never adjusted. I have another Dillon 550B that I have to set up because it has the changeable turrets.

I've been thru a series of assorted presses (Lyman, Herter, C-H, Dillon), settling upon a RCBS Rockchucker for most work and a Dillon 550B for production runs of handgun cartridges, .223, and matchloading of .308. For basic loading you cannot beat a solid single station press like the Rockchucker, and in my humble opinion there are only two kinds of people out there, the ones that own a Rockchucker and the ones that will!

LLS